Calvin: A Brief Guide to His Life and Thought

by Willem Van't Spijker

John Calvin (1509-1564) was one of the main Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century. His thought spread worldwide, and today he is still looked to for theological insights and as a guide to Christian faith by millions of people. In this book, one of the world's leading Calvin scholars, Willem van 't Spijker, provides a compact guide to Calvin's life and the main elements of his thought. Van 't Spijker bases this work on the best contemporary scholarship. By tracing Calvin's influence, he shows both the development of Calvin's thought and the ways in which it was important in his time and later. This book will be an excellent introduction to Calvin's life and thought for both beginning students and those already acquainted with Calvin's work.

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2009

Reviews

[Matt Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief guide is def the proper name for this book. There are no large passages and rabbit trails it is sussinct and to the point. It does not necessarily handle particular theological issues but is more a chronology of the events in Calvin's life.

[Coyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title says, this book is "a brief guide to" Calvin's "life and thought." That said, it is not necessarily an easy guide. While Van't Spijker has indeed written a short book, it is fairly dense and technical, and probably not the place to start for beginning readers of theology.
And yet, it's still a pretty solid work. If you're willing to take your time and go slowly through the more challenging passages, it will reward you with insights into the piety and theology of the greatest theologian since Augustine.

To give you a sampling:

"The word 'system', in the strict sense of the term, does not really apply to Calvin's thought as a whole. His book is not an unified construct, a 'Summa' of religious truths. At every significant point, every 'locus', it is a living out of the truth itself--that is, out of Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. The... method of teaching [and]... the way of speaking is derived from the object. That is why it is understandable that up to the present day no one has been able to give a satisfactory answer to the question of what philosophical method Calvin used. There is no outside organizing principle that, as it were, rests atop the material. The material itself, Scripture itself, Calvin is convinced, determines the content and the method. His intent was to be a disciple of Scripture." (112)

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll have to do more research about if this book gives enough details of the life and works of the Protestant theologian, John Calvin. It goes first through the political and religious background of Europe. Next, it goes through his education and idolized teachers of Bible. Then, it goes through a combination of his theological work, writings, prostyltizing, philosophy of church government and membership diversity (it’s not just a non-denominational idea.) He also goes through church discipline and people rebelling against God and his interactions with other churches like the Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church and governments as well because they were under the moral banner of Christ. He also defends his doctrines on soeteriology (salvation.) Yes, people back then were scared for the sake of young minds being exposed to being totally under God’s control, however, that is not a logical argument. He did do well with those logical arguments, like I plan on doing. Apparently, Calvin did not like getting into scuffles over fights of the original words of the Bible. I do... !! ;)

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not big on biographies. For some reason, they've just never held my attention. This is a good summary of Calvin though. It doesn't highlight only his flaws or his achievements. It gives a very balanced approach as well as give a picture of the entire reformation, and particularly Calvin's interactions with the other reformers in different countries. Easy read and full of good information.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise, useful, and very well-informed